The Tell Tale Heart And The Black Cat Research Paper

When Madness Leads To Murder
How insane must one be to kill those he loves? Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat" bring this question to life as the events leading up to killings are explained by murderers themselves. The narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” plans the murder of an old man and successfully carries it out, only to reveal himself when he “hears” the beating of the dead man’s heart. “The Black Cat” is a story about an alcoholic who tortures and kills a cat. Then he attempts killing a second cat but instead kills his wife. Both Poe stories have narrators who experience paranoia after committing murder, as well as possessing differences such as method and cover-up of murder and revelation of murder.

The narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” has severe delusions that prove it impossible for him to keep his crime a secret. After murdering the old man, the narrator hears “a low, dull, quick sound--much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton” (Poe, “Heart” 4) as he talks with police officers. Nevertheless, the noise the narrator hears is solely in his head and “steadily increased” (Poe, “Heart” 8) as he grows frustrated. The unrelenting suffering caused by the noise leads the narrator to think “They heard!--they suspected!--they knew!--they were making a mockery of my horror!” (Poe, “Heart” 8) and eventually reveal the murder. Likewise, after killing his cat the narrator in “The Black Cat” “could not rid myself of the phantasm of the cat” (Poe

In the exposition of “The Tell-Tale Heart” narrator reveals he has killed, pushing him to defend his sanity while detailing his plan of murder. For instance, he states, “I thus made up my mind to take the life of the old man” (Poe, “Heart” 3) and proceeds to deny his madness, saying “Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded” (Poe, “Heart” 3). The revelation of the murder in the beginning allows for a character driven story rather than a plot centered tale. Poe’s method allows the reader to focus on the narrator’s voice and ultimately judge whether he is insane. The murder in “The Black Cat” is revealed at the climax of the story. Poe writes, “I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot without a groan.” (Poe, “Cat” 11). By revealing the narrator’s crime at the climax of the story, Poe builds up suspense. He leaves the reader questioning the narrator’s every move and how the story will